Phosphor for light-emitting device

ABSTRACT

A high-brightness phosphor having high-temperature characteristics and long-term reliability, and a white light-emitting device using this phosphor are provided. The phosphor contains a silicate phosphor (A) having a peak wavelength of at least 525 nm but not higher than 535 nm and fluorescence intensity of at least 250% but not higher than 270%; an oxynitride phosphor (B) having a peak wavelength of at least 540 nm but not higher than 545 nm and fluorescence intensity of at least 260% but not higher than 280%; and an oxynitride phosphor (C) having a peak wavelength of at least 645 nm but not higher than 655 nm, wherein the amount of the silicate phosphor (A) is at least 20% but not higher than 35% by mass, the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (B) is at least 50% but not higher than 70% by mass, and the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (C) is at least 10% but not higher than 20% by mass.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a national stage of International Application No. PCT/JP2012/070390, filed Aug. 9, 2012, which claims the benefit of Japanese Application No. 2012-026586, filed Feb. 9, 2012, in the Japanese Patent Office. All disclosures of the document(s) named above are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a phosphor used for a light emitting diode (LED) and a light-emitting device using an LED.

2. Description of the Related Art

As a phosphor used for a white light-emitting device, a combination of β-SiAlON and a red light-emitting phosphor is known (Patent Literature 1). A phosphor combining a red light-emitting phosphor and a green light-emitting phosphor that has specific color coordinates is disclosed by (Patent Literature 2).

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   Patent Literature 1: JP 2007-180483 A -   Patent Literature 2: JP 2008-166825 A

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

A purpose of the present invention is to provide a phosphor achieving high brightness and high color-rendering properties at the same time by adding an oxynitride phosphor to an existing phosphor. Another purpose is to provide a white light-emitting device using this phosphor.

Solution to Problem

The phosphor of the present invention includes: a silicate phosphor (A) having a peak wavelength of at least 525 nm but not higher than 535 nm and fluorescence intensity of at least 250% but not higher than 270%; an oxynitride phosphor (B) having a peak wavelength of at least 540 nm but not higher than 545 nm and fluorescence intensity of at least 260% but not higher than 280%; and an oxynitride phosphor (C) having a peak wavelength of at least 645 nm but not higher than 655 nm, wherein the amount of the silicate phosphor (A) is at least 20% but not higher than 35% by mass, the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (B) is at least 50% but not higher than 70% by mass, and the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (C) is at least 10% but not higher than 20% by mass.

Assuming the amounts of the silicate phosphor (A) and that of the oxynitride phosphor (B) are a and b, respectively, it is preferable that they have the following relation: 1.5≦b/a≦3.5.

Assuming the amounts of the silicate phosphor (A), that of the oxynitride phosphor (B), and that of the oxynitride phosphor (C) are a, b, and c, it is preferable that they have the following relation: 4.0≦(a+b)/c≦8.2.

It is preferable that the oxynitride phosphor (B) is β-SiAlON, and the oxynitride phosphor (C) is CASN.

The invention from another viewpoint as claimed herein is a light-emitting device having the above-described phosphor and an LED that mounts the phosphor on its light-emitting surface.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, a high-brightness phosphor having high-temperature characteristics and ensuring long-term reliability, and a white light-emitting device using this phosphor can be provided.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.

The phosphor of the present invention includes: a silicate phosphor (A) having a peak wavelength of at least 525 nm but not higher than 535 nm and fluorescence intensity of at least 250% but not higher than 270%; an oxynitride phosphor (B) having a peak wavelength of at least 540 nm but not higher than 545 nm and fluorescence intensity of at least 260% but not higher than 280%; and an oxynitride phosphor (C) having a peak wavelength of at least 645 nm but not higher than 655 nm.

By mixing these phosphors (A), (B), and (C), a high-brightness phosphor having high-temperature characteristics and ensuring long-term reliability is obtained.

The amount of the silicate phosphor (A) is at least 20% but not higher than 35% by mass, the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (B) is at least 50% but not higher than 70% by mass, and the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (C) is at least 10% but not higher than 20% by mass.

If the amount of the silicate phosphor (A) is too low, the color-rendering properties tend to degrade, whereas if it is too high, high-temperature characteristics and long-term reliability tend not to be ensured easily, which is why the above range is preferable.

If the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (B) is too low, high-temperature characteristics and long-term reliability tend not to be ensured easily, whereas if it is too high, high color-rendering properties tend not to be obtained. Similarly, if the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (C) is too low, high color-rendering properties tend not to be exhibited, and in extreme cases, white light itself tends not be obtained. If the amount is too high, the brightness tends to decrease, and in extreme cases, white light tends not be obtained.

The phosphor (A) of the present invention is a green light-emitting silicate phosphor having a peak wavelength of at least 525 nm but not higher than 535 nm and fluorescence intensity of at least 250% but not higher than 270%. Specifically, G3161, EG2762, EG3261, and EG3560 by Intematix, and SGA-530 and SGA-535 by Merck are available.

The fluorescence intensity of the phosphor is expressed in a percentage value relative to the peak height of standard sample (YAG, more specifically P46Y3 by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation), which is regarded as 100%. To measure the fluorescence intensity, F-7000 spectrophotometer by Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation was used. The measurement method is described below.

<Measurement Method>

1) Setting samples: A measurement sample or a standard sample was packed in a quartz cell, and measurement was performed by setting the samples to a measuring apparatus alternately. The samples were packed in the cell up to approximately ¾ of the height of the cell, with the relative packing density maintained at approximately 35%.

2) Measurement: The samples were excited using a light of 455 nm, and the maximum peak height in a range from 500 nm to 700 nm was read. Measurement was performed five times, and the remaining three values excluding the maximum and the minimum values were averaged.

The phosphor (B) of the present invention is a green light-emitting oxynitride phosphor having a peak wavelength of at least 540 nm but not higher than 545 nm and fluorescence intensity of at least 260% but not higher than 280%. Specifically, β-SiAlON, and more specifically ALONBRIGHT (registered trademark) by DENKI KAGAKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA is available.

The phosphor (C) of the present invention is an oxynitride phosphor having a peak wavelength of at least 645 nm but not higher than 655 nm. Specifically, it is a phosphor abbreviated as and called CASN. More specifically, BR-101A (peak wavelength: 650 nm) by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, R6634 (peak wavelength: 650 nm) and R6733 (peak wavelength: 655 nm) both by Intematix are available. To this oxynitride phosphor (C), R6436 (peak wavelength: 630 nm) or R6535 (peak wavelength: 640 nm) by Intematix, or BR-102C, BR-102F (peak wavelength: 630 nm) or BR-102D (peak wavelength: 620 nm) by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation may be added for adjustment in an amount smaller than that of the oxynitride phosphor (C).

It is preferable that the amount of the silicate phosphor (A) is lower than that of the oxynitride phosphor (B) in order to maintain high reliability, and assuming the amounts of each are a and b, respectively it is preferable that the following relation is maintained: 1.5≦b/a≦3.5.

It is preferable that the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (C) is low because the brightness of the oxynitride phosphor (C) itself is low. However, if the amount is too low, the color-rendering properties also decrease. It is therefore preferable that the ratio falls within the following range: 4.0≦(a+b)/c≦8.2.

The method for mixing the silicate phosphor (A), oxynitride phosphors (B) and (C) can be selected as required, provided that they can be mixed uniformly or to a desired mixed state. A precondition of this mixing method is that entry of impurities is not allowed and that the shape and the particle size of the phosphors do not change.

The invention from another viewpoint as claimed in the application concerned is, as described previously, a light-emitting device having the above-described mixed phosphors and an LED that mounts the phosphors on its light-emitting surface. The phosphors mounted to the light-emitting surface of the LED are sealed by a sealing agent. Resin and glass are available as the sealing agent, and the resin includes silicone resins. As the LED, it is preferable that a red light-emitting LED, blue light-emitting LED, and LED emitting other colors are selected as required depending on the light to be emitted ultimately. In the case of the blue light-emitting LED, the one made of a gallium nitride semiconductor, and having a peak wavelength of at least 440 nm but not higher than 460 nm is preferable. More preferably, the peak wavelength is at least 445 nm but not higher than 455 nm. The size of the light-emitting part of the LED is preferably 0.5 mm square or larger, and LED chips of any size can be selected, provided that they have the light-emitting part area as described above. The area preferably is 1.0 mm×0.5 mm, and more preferably 1.2 mm×0.6 mm.

EXAMPLE

Examples of the present invention will be described in detail by referring to Tables and Comparative Examples.

TABLE 1 Peak Fluorescence wavelength intensity phosphor (nm) (%) Manufacturer, Model No. Phosphor(A) P1 512 242 EG2060 by Intematix P2 525 253 EG2762 by Intematix P3 530 264 SGA530 by Merck P4 540 251 EG3759 by Intematix phosphor(B) P5 538 218 ALONBRIGHT F4-SW by DENKI KAGAKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA P6 542 269 ALONBRIGHT GR-MW540H by DENKI KAGAKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA P7 552 220 ALONBRIGHT GR-LW555B by DENKI KAGAKU KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA phosphor(C) P8 650 161 CASN BR-101A by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation P9 630 166 S-CASN BR-102C by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation

The phosphors shown in Table 1 are the silicate phosphor (A), oxynitride phosphors (B) and (C) of the present invention. Of the silicate phosphor (A) in Table 1, P2 and P3 are phosphors satisfying the conditions that the peak wavelength is at least 525 nm but not higher than 535 nm and that the fluorescence intensity is at least 250% but not higher than 270%. Of the oxynitride phosphor (B) in Table 1, P6 only is a phosphor that satisfies the conditions that the peak wavelength is at least 540 nm but not higher than 545 nm and that the fluorescence intensity is at least 260% but not higher than 280%. Of the oxynitride phosphor (C) in Table 1, P8 only is a phosphor that satisfies the condition that the peak wavelength is at least 645 nm but not higher than 655 nm.

By mixing these phosphors at the ratio shown in Table 2, the phosphors according to the Examples and Comparative Examples were obtained.

TABLE 2 Example Comparative Example 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 CoP* (A) P1 33 P2 35 27 20 23 20 P3 20 33 20 P4 26 (B) P5 P6 50 69.5 59 50 69 57 57 53 56 P7 68 (C) P8 10 10.5 14 17 11 19 13 14 13 12 P9 5 4 7 5 b/a 1.4 3.5 2.2 1.5 3.5 2.9 2.5 1.6 2.2 3.4 (a + b)/c 8.5 8.5 6.1 4.9 8.1 4.1 6.2 6.1 6.3 7.3 Ia** Color-rendering 75% 75% 77% 79% 76% 79% 78% 75% 67% 66% properties (ratio with respect to NTSC) Brightness/ 29.4 30.2 31.8 30.5 32.9 31.4 32.3 24.1 26.9 27.2 luminous flux Htc***  50° C. 99% 100%  99% 99% 100%  99% 99% 98% 98% 99% 100° C. 97% 98% 97% 96% 97% 97% 97% 96% 96% 97% 150° C. 92% 96% 95% 93% 96% 94% 94% 91% 91% 94% Lr**** 500 hrs 98% 100%  100%  99% 100%  99% 99% 98% 98% 99% 2,000 hrs   95% 99% 98% 96% 99% 97% 97% 94% 94% 95% Comparative Example 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 CoP* (A) P1 P2 19 34 26 20 P3 22 36 31 18 P4 (B) P5 68 P6 60 70 54 49 61 52 72 P7 (C) P8 10 10 19 8 22 10 12 P9 18 3 b/a 2.7 3.7 1.5 1.4 2.0 2.0 4.0 3.4 (a + b)/c — 8.9 9.0 4.4 11.5 3.5 9.0 7.3 Ia** Color-rendering 67% 65% 73% 70% 65% 66% 65% 74% properties (ratio with respect to NTSC) Brightness/ 24.8 28.0 27.3 26.7 26.3 27.0 28.1 23.7 luminous flux Htc***  50° C. 99% 99% 97% 97% 99% 99% 98% 99% 100° C. 97% 97% 93% 94% 97% 97% 97% 97% 150° C. 93% 94% 85% 86% 94% 94% 92% 94% Lr**** 500 hrs 99% 99% 95% 96% 99% 98% 98% 99% 2,000 hrs   96% 97% 88% 89% 97% 94% 95% 97% “CoP*” means “Composition of the phosphor” “Ia**” means “Initial assessment” “Htc***” means “High-temperature characteristics” “Lr****” means “Long-term reliability”

The phosphor in Example 1 was a composition obtained by mixing phosphor P2 in Table 1 by 35 mass % as the silicate phosphor (A), phosphor P6 in Table 1 by 50 mass % as the oxynitride phosphor (B), and phosphor P8 in Table 1 by 10 mass % as the oxynitride phosphor (C), and by adding BR-102C by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation by 5 mass %. In Table 2, the values of P1 to P9 in “Composition of the phosphor” represent mass percentage. To mix the phosphors, 2.5 g of the phosphors in total was measured and mixed in a vinyl bag, and the mixture was then mixed with 47.5 g of silicone resin (OE6656 by Dow Corning Toray) using a planetary centrifugal mixer (“Awatori Rentaro” ARE-310 [registered trademark] by THINKY). “b/a and (a+b)/c” in Table 2 are calculated values by assuming that a represents the amount of the silicate phosphor (A), b represents the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (B), and c represents the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (C).

To mount the phosphor to an LED, the LED was placed at the bottom of a concaved package main unit, wire bonding with the electrode on a substrate was performed, and then the mixed phosphors were injected using a micro-syringe. After the phosphor was mounted and hardened at 120° C., post-curing was performed at 110° C. for 10 hours for sealing. As the LED, the one having an emission peak wavelength of 448 nm and a chip in size of 1.0 mm×0.5 mm was used.

The assessment shown in Table 2 will hereinafter be described.

As the initial assessment in Table 2, color-rendering properties were adopted as one of the initial assessment. To assess the color-rendering properties, color reproduction range was used, and represented by the area (%) with respect to NTSC standard on the color coordinate. The larger the value, the higher the color-rendering properties. The passing criterion of the assessment is 72% or higher, which is the condition adopted for general LED-TVs.

The value of the brightness in Table 2 was assessed by the luminous flux (lm) at 25° C. The measurement taken after the current of 60 mA was applied for 10 minutes was adopted. The passing criterion of the assessment is 25 lm or higher. Since this value fluctuates depending on the measuring device used and conditions, the value was set by multiplying the lower limit value of each Example by 85% in order to make relative comparison with the Examples.

The high-temperature characteristics in Table 2 were assessed based on attenuation properties with respect to the luminous flux at 25° C. Luminous flux was measured at 50° C., 100° C., and 150° C., and the measurements were represented as the values with respect to the value measured at 25° C., which was regarded as 100%. The passing criterion of the assessment was 97% or higher at 50° C., 95% or higher at 100° C., and 90% or higher at 150° C. These values are not global standard values, but considered to be a guideline for highly reliable light-emitting devices.

The long-term reliability in Table 2 is expressed by the value of attenuation of luminous flux. The phosphors were left as they were at 85° C. and 85% RH for 500 hrs. and 2,000 hrs., respectively, they were then taken out and dried at a room temperature, and their luminous flux was measured and expressed in the percentage with respect to the initial value, which is regarded as 100%.

The passing criteria of the assessment is 97% or higher for 500 hrs., and 94% or higher for 2,000 hrs. These values cannot be achieved only by the silicate phosphor.

As shown in Table 2, the Examples of the present invention exhibited relatively good color-rendering properties and luminous flux values, and exhibited relatively small attenuation of luminous flux even when stored in a high-temperature or high-temperature/high-humidity environment for a long time.

Comparative Example 1 of the present invention had a small luminous flux value, and Comparative Examples 2, 3, and 4 had lower color-rendering properties. In addition, Comparative Examples 5 and 8, where the amount of each phosphor fell outside the range of the present invention, exhibited extremely small color-rendering property values with respect to NTSC standard. Similarly, Comparative Example 6 was inferior in high-temperature characteristics and long-term reliability. In particular, Comparative Example 7, where the amount of oxynitride phosphor B added was too small, exhibited inferiority in all of color-rendering properties, luminous flux, high-temperature characteristics, and long-term reliability, which is why its use for the backlight of a white LED is difficult. Furthermore, Comparative Example 9, where the amount of oxynitride phosphor C added was too much, exhibited lower color-rendering property and luminous flux values. Comparative Example 10, where the ratio of the silicate phosphor A to the oxynitride phosphor B fell outside the range, exhibited significant decrease in luminous flux value in the test of high-temperature characteristics and long-term reliability, causing the reliability of the LED package to become low. It can hardly be used for products such as TVs and monitors.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The phosphor of the present invention is used for a white light-emitting device. The white light-emitting device of the present invention is used for the backlight of LC panels, illuminating devices, signaling systems, and image display devices.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A phosphor, comprising: a silicate phosphor (A) having a peak wavelength of at least 525 nm but not higher than 535 nm and fluorescence intensity of at least 250% but not higher than 270%; an oxynitride phosphor (B) having a peak wavelength of at least 540 nm but not higher than 545 nm and fluorescence intensity of at least 260% but not higher than 280%; and an oxynitride phosphor (C) having a peak wavelength of at least 645 nm but not higher than 655 nm, wherein, the amount of the silicate phosphor (A) is at least 20% but not higher than 35% by mass; the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (B) is at least 50% but not higher than 70% by mass; and the amount of the oxynitride phosphor (C) is at least 10% but not higher than 20% by mass.
 2. The phosphor as set forth in claim 1, wherein assuming the amounts of the silicate phosphor (A) and that of the oxynitride phosphor (B) are a and b, respectively, the ratio satisfies 1.5≦b/a≦3.5.
 3. The phosphor as set forth in claim 1, wherein assuming the amounts of the silicate phosphor (A) and that of the oxynitride phosphors (B)and (C) of the phosphor are a, b, and c, respectively, the ratio satisfies 4.0≦(a+b)/c≦8.2.
 4. The phosphor as set forth in claim 1, wherein the oxynitride phosphor (B) is β-SiAlON, and the oxynitride phosphor (C) is CASN.
 5. The phosphor as set forth in claim 3, wherein the oxynitride phosphor (B) is β-SiAlON, and the oxynitride phosphor (C) is CASN. 